More than 1,775 total observations across Preserve’s natural communities identify 439 unique species
In May, the Elling Eide Center in Sarasota welcomed more than 70 community scientists to its 72‑acre, coastal, private research preserve for a one-day event: The Elling Eide Center Team‑Challenge BioBlitz, the facility announced this week.
“Participants made more than 1,775 total observations across the Preserve’s natural communities, identifying 439 unique species, and contributing valuable data to iNaturalist to support ongoing conservation research,” a news release points out.
“We’re encouraged by the level of engagement and the quality of data collected,” said Lee Amos, director of land management and environmental programs at the Elling Eide Center, in the release. “This event demonstrates how community science can directly inform land stewardship and deepen our understanding of Florida’s coastal biodiversity,” he added.
“In recognition of outstanding contributions to biodiversity documentation and community science during the event,” the release continues, the Elling Eide Center has named the following award winners:
- Most Species Observed Overall — Team 5: The Serenoa Sisters (Alison, Sophie, and Diane).
- Most Insect, Arachnid & Mollusk Species Observed — Team 10: Tatiana and Rick.
- Top Individual Contributor — River P.
- Best iNaturalist Observation Honorable Mention — Lily E.’s photo of a Perplexing Rotund-Resin Bee, Anthidiellum perplexum.
- Best iNaturalist Observation Honorable Mention — Rick G.’s photo of a bee, genus Megachile.
“The data collected will inform habitat management strategies and strengthen regional conservation,” the release explains. “Participants documented species across eight natural community types, including rare coastal uplands that represent some of the last of their kind in Sarasota County,” the release points out.
“These findings contribute to the Center’s ongoing efforts to preserve, enhance, and manage rare coastal ecosystems that safeguard water quality, mitigate storm surges, provide critical stopover habitat for neo-tropical migratory birds, and give refuge for imperiled and endemic Florida species,” the release adds.
“The Team‑Challenge BioBlitz exemplifies the Center’s vision” — to leverage the unique strengths of its natural setting “and advance interdisciplinary research in new ways to benefit scholarly communities worldwide by engaging the community in hands‑on research that strengthens conservation partnerships and deepens understanding of local biodiversity,” the release says.
To watch a recap video and explore the BioBlitz findings, the release notes, visit https://ellingoeide.org/past-conferences-and-workshops/.
Visitors and researchers are invited to explore the Elling Eide Center Preserve by invitation through upcoming guided programs, volunteer days and seasonal events, the release adds. Learn more at eidecenter.org.
“The Elling Eide Center is named for “scholar and preservationist Elling Oliver Eide (1935–2012),” the release points out. “The Center houses one of the most significant private collections of East Asian literature in the United States, as well as one of the last remaining reserves of biodiversity in an increasingly urbanized Florida coastline,” the release notes.